The announcement of Alberta’s police funding model has resulted in additional resources for the RCMP for 2020/21, with one coming to Stettler.
“The Alberta RCMP understands that police resource levels are of particular importance to our communities and even more so under the new funding model. We know that targeting and reducing rural crime goes hand-in-hand with sufficient resources as demonstrated by boots on the ground,” stated a release from July 2, which outlined 76 new officers and 57 civilan support positions are being created.
“Within the RCMP’s integrated service delivery model, detachment resources are augmented by centralized frontline support and specialized units as well as by civilian support positions. This means that the benefit of additional RCMP resources can be felt in communities across Alberta.”
The following detachments have received new frontline police positions: western district (five) Beaverlodge, Edson, Evansburg, Mayerthorpe, Valleyview; southern district (five) - Airdrie (two), Cochrane, Okotoks, Strathmore; central district (10) Camrose, Blackfalds, Leduc, Morinville, Parkland, Rocky Mountain House (two), Stettler, Strathcona County, Thorsby; eastern district (five) Athabasca, Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Elk Point, St. Paul.
RCMP K-Division commanding officer, deputy commissioner Curtis Zablocki stated the unprecedented funding for rural communities will help them in providing a high quality of service.
“The RCMP is committed to working in partnership with our communities to ensure Albertans feel safe, in their homes, in their backyards, and in their farmyards. The new funding will allow us to directly and indirectly support frontline policing by adding new police officers and support positions in our detachments, ultimately benefiting the communities we serve across Alberta,” Zablocki said in the release.
To date, the RCMP has filled 46 of the positions to increase rural policing levels and enhance rural crime reduction efforts.
Those positions include 25 frontline officers, 18 centralized specialized services officers and three civilian administrative and program support positions.
An analysis of detachments determined the allocation of the positions, which included factors including travel time, call volume, type of crimes in the area, time required for investigations, detachment size and time available for strategic patrols, community engagement, visiting schools and attending community events.
Alberta’s justice minister Doug Schweitzer said the new officers is fullfilling a government promise.
“Rural Albertans asked for action against rising crime, and our government responded with Alberta’s largest single investment in policing since the RCMP’s march west,” he said in the release.
“Putting more boots on the ground in rural Alberta will help protect residents and ensure they feel safe in their communities.”
Meanwhile, the presidents of both groups that represent Alberta municipalities — Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) and Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) — are pleased, but will keep working for more.
“AUMA members expect and need to see more front-line police resources. We appreciate that it takes time to fill and train these new resources, and we expect there will be net new resources coming soon. We are happy to be on the path, but there is still a lot of work to be done. We continue to advocate that because municipalities pay for policing, we must have input into the delivery of police service in communities,” said AUMA president Barry Morishita.
“Policing and public safety resourcing levels continue to be an issue for rural communities across Alberta. It is encouraging to see the RCMP partially investing the increased police cost contributions from rural municipalities into frontline resources in rural Alberta. RMA looks forward to working with the RCMP and Government of Alberta to identify how rural municipalities can have greater input into determining where increased rural policing resources are distributed throughout the province, which will hopefully lead to improved rural service levels,” said Al Kemmere, RMA president.